For the first time since I got here, today I've felt a bit homesick. But I don't think the hangover and tiredness are helping matters. It's not mega bad but I've been thinking a lot about the NE today, and it's places and spaces. I'm also missing my UK social life and support network :o( I'm a bit concerned about what I'll do when the course finishes, but that's not worth worrying about now and I'm under no real time pressure to make any decisions so I'm trying to just go with the flow.
So, we had a phonology test yesterday morning (that gobbledigook you see after a word in a dictionary that tells you how to pronounce it). I quite enjoyed it - we had to translate said gobbledigook into English and vice versa. We were also tested on intontation, the organs of speech and how we stress certain words in English. I didn't realise but there's a different phonemic chart for every language in the world, so the English one differs to the American one even though English is spoken in both countries (obvious when you think about it). These phonemic charts look a bit like the periodic table of the elements, with each sound represented by a different symbol. In the English one, for example, there is a sound and corresponding to the 'a' in 'car' and a different sound/symbol for the 'a' in 'cat'. It's more like the alphabet we learn when we're little where we say the letters as they are pronounced: a (like cat), b (like ball, not like 'bee'), c (like 'cat', not like 'see') etc. But the symbols correspond to sounds, not letters. So 'cat' and 'king' share the same sound, and if, for example, you're writing 'coffee' in phonemes you only need to include one 'f' as it relates only to the sound, not the letter. I quite like stuff like that!
We've also been learning about the stress we put on certain words/syllables in English - saying the sentence 'CATS CHASE MICE' takes a similar amount of time to saying, 'the CATS that CHASE the MICE' because we put the emphasis on the key words. This means English is a stressed-time lanaguage and is what gives it its 'sing-song' effect. This contrasts with say Italian or French. In French, the word for banana is 'banane'. It's said in a very flat way with no stress on any particular syllable, whereas in English we say, 'banARna'. Imagine how difficult all these nuances are for someone learning English! As well as the fact that the words 'comb', 'bomb' and 'tomb' only have one letter of difference between them but the pronunciation of each is completely different to the other. Anyway, enough on phonology...
When the test finished at 10.30am, we were told we were free for the rest of the day so I headed to the beach with three other girls from the course. It was nice having some company outside of school as I'm beginning to get a bit lonely being on my own all the time. I'm totally used to living alone now, but it's not the same without my network of friends and family to break the monotony of being just me, myself and I. I didn't brave the water this time, but did spend a good couple of hours laughing at people trying to get in and out the sea. The shingle, big shelf and big waves are a really bad combination, but do make for entertaining viewing! The techniques people adopt crack me up. One woman leaned forward and walked like neanderthal man (either that or like she'd just got off her horse). Some people got in as quickly as possible. The hesitaters tended to get knocked over. Some couldn't get back up. That was funny! People clung to each other, thinking there was safety in numbers but then a big wave would come and they'd both get knocked over. Some people tried to get in then chickened out and sat back down on the beach. Some tried to look like they were just paddling but you could tell they were weighing up their options. But you have to understand that I was really laughing with these people after my experience last weekend, they had my sympathy and I was secretly pleased that it's a common occurance (although boobgate wasn't copied by anyone - some women were topless. I reckon that could be a tactic!).
After a few hours chilling on the beach I came back home, got changed and went back into town to meet the others in an Irish bar. The Italian girl was craving a burger so we all had burger and chips! (I can't believe we're in France and all I'm doing is speaking English and eating and drinking in Irish bars - it's a travesty). From there we headed to the prom where there was some live music and some carnival action. We drank far too much wine and stayed out into the wee small hours. We knew it was bad when we tried to get into Wayne's Bar and were told we were too late and they were closing; not sure where the night went. We went back to the bar we'd just come from where we befriended two Glaswegians. The poor American girl couldn't understand a word they were saying which illustrated the phonology stuff really well - they were all native English speakers but struggled to communicate with each other!
I stayed in town with two of my classmates so avoided the lonely commute back to my apartment late at night. Today we woke up late, nursed our hangovers then met two other classmates and went to the Matisse Museum. I loved it! I knew very little about Matisse but now I'm loving his work. His stuff is so varied and really simple but effective. We had a stroll around the park, watched a wedding, had a gelato (Kinder and ginger/caramel for me - dee-vine!) and then I headed home. I made my trusty favourite: carbonara, spoke to my parents and now I'm going to hit the hay ready for a day at my local beach tomorrow. I'm going to hire a lounger and an umbrella and just chill out. I'll read my book, snooze, swim (if it looks like I can get in and out of the water without incident), snooze, read my book, swim ad infinitum. It would be nice to share my day with someone, but I'm going to just get on with it and enjoy myself anyway. I could arrange to see my classmates again but, as much as I like them, it's quite tiring being around people you don't know that well 24/7. I'm looking forward to seeing Chri again on Thursday when we're off to see Jamiroquai.
Saturday, 23 July 2011
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Grammar update
Apparently we all passed the grammar test. Not sure by how much, but the main thing is that we all passed. Phew. Still lots of self-study to do as I'm not quite sure I could explain the past perfect continuous aspect to anyone, nevermind someone who isn't a native English speaker...
I also took my first lesson; a one-on-one with a 15-year old girl. It went OK. I can identify lots of room for improvement but it's good to have got the first one out of the way. Speaking of firsts, I also ventured into the pool this evening and did my 50 lengths. The weather has been pretty dire here today so there were only two young boys in there. At least I know the ropes a bit now.
Loving hearing from you - thanks for your calls, emails, cards etc. You are the best! Night night xx
I also took my first lesson; a one-on-one with a 15-year old girl. It went OK. I can identify lots of room for improvement but it's good to have got the first one out of the way. Speaking of firsts, I also ventured into the pool this evening and did my 50 lengths. The weather has been pretty dire here today so there were only two young boys in there. At least I know the ropes a bit now.
Loving hearing from you - thanks for your calls, emails, cards etc. You are the best! Night night xx
Monday, 18 July 2011
Some observations
In no particular order and for no real reason, here's some things I've been thinking about recently:
- The BBQ we had in Italy consisted of: carpaccio of beef with a tomato and red onion salad to start, then meat, meat and more meat. We had chicken, lamb, sausages and maybe pork too. But no sides. Later on a green salad was brought out, but no carbs/sides like we would have in the UK. I think us Brits generally tend to think something's missing if we don't have rice/pasta/potatoes etc with our meals. (On a separate note we also had the most delicious panna cotta for dessert!)
- It's funny (and nice) how loyal people can be towards the place they're from. The Italians at the weekend have lived in Genoa for a long time. They were saying that the foccacia in the area of Italy where we were doesn't have anything on the foccacia from Genoa. I think that's generally the same the world over though. I like it this patriotism/loyalty, and now I'm interested to try the Genovese foccacia so I can form my own opinion. (Apparently it should be thin - they say it's a mattress if it's too thick and spongy - crispy and have a lot of oil on it.)
- The internet must be my biggest distraction. I was meant to go running tonight. I've talked about and looked forward to it all day. Then I find a way to connect to the internet from my apartment and running has gone out the window. I'm going to have to go running or swimming before school tomorrow. Maybe swimming, as it's not every day I have a pool to use before the daily grind starts.
- It's weird how kettles haven't taken off in Europe (well, not in France and Italy anyway). To me it seems like a hassle to get a pan out, put the hob on, boil the water, remember to turn it off when it boils, then wash/dry the pan and put it away, when you could just fill a kettle and leave it at that. I wonder why that is?
- Language is funny. I've spent a lot of time with Chri recently. He says stuff in English like, 'let's make a tour' (of the town or whatever) because that's what they say in Italian, and French I think. Or, 'in this corner' (of the town), meaning in this particular area/neighbourhood. We wouldn't use these phrases in English but sometimes I can't think what we would say. I think we'd probably use a slightly different expression depending on what we were doing, ie. let's go for a wander, let's go exploring, let's go for a walk, let's have a look round. But now, because I understand what's intended by these phrases, I find myself using them in English as it's easier. It doesn't make for great English though, and means I'm not correcting Chri either. And recently I just haven't been able to remember some words in English. On Saturday I had to text Australia to ask what that game is where you use a mallet to hit a ball through pegs - you know, like polo but without the horses. Of course it's croquet (thanks my marra!), but there was no way that word was going to come to me. Strange what your brain does sometimes. The other day Chri had to ask Omar how they pronounce pistachio in Italian. His brain was listening to me saying it in English and French and it blocked his ability to think in his own language. I also learnt today that we will generally always think of numbers in the language we originally learnt them in. So if in 60 years I'm still living in France, I'll probably still count in English. How strange is that?
- Sometimes recently I've struggled to identify where in the world I am. For Bastille Day last week, for example, I was in an Irish pub in Nice with two Americans, an Italian, a Brit who has lived in Austria since she was 16, a guy from Northern Ireland who has lived in Sweden and France for the past 20-odd years and an Brit who has lived in Nice for six years. I was in France, speaking English, drinking pints pulled by an Irishman in an Irish pub. Talk about confusing! Then last week I was in London having lunch with my old colleagues and a few hours later I was drinking wine with my parents and their neighbours in the north east. I think my internal compass is struggling to keep up with all my recent travels!
- GB, who knows me and my inner brain workings/insecurities better than most, told me today that he's impressed with my lack of recent crying when the going has gotten tough. He said I'm getting strong. And do you know what? I think he's right. That drowning/indecent exposure incident was a classic example. Ordinarily I would have burst into tears, sat on the beach feeling sorry for myself and not gone back in the water all afternoon. Instead, I rearranged myself (ahem) and got straight in the sea without shedding a tear. Yay! I like it when I see progress without having made a conscious decision to act/feel differently. When T died, people said things would one day become easier. You don't believe that at the time. How can you? You think it will always be like it is. But it's not. I feel not just stronger, but strong. It's good! And I know T would be most proud of that. That makes me happy.
Before T died I had a lot of insecurities. I worried. A lot. About things that were totally outside my control. For example, on our South America trip I agonised for days about getting a boat home as I didn't want to fly. What a waste of those days in South America. Now I see flying as a means to an end. Yes, it's got risks, but if I want to travel to the places I go, I have to fly. My desire to travel outweighs those risks. When we went on holiday to Turkey we hired a scooter and I was past myself about getting on it and going a few kilometers down the coast, instead of just holding on and enjoying the ride and the scenery. Now I get on Chri's scooter without thinking about it. It gets us from A to B. I certainly worry a lot less than I used to about things over which I've got no control. I'm not completely cured (GB will definitely vouch for that), but I'm definitely in remission - although don't be expecting me to go in a field containing cows or to go anywhere near a frog! T would also be proud that I'm more carefree about lots of things. That's one thing he was constantly trying to help me with as he could see how debilitating it could be, and what a waste of bloody time.
Think that's my brain dump for the day. Better rest up before my early morning swim...
- The BBQ we had in Italy consisted of: carpaccio of beef with a tomato and red onion salad to start, then meat, meat and more meat. We had chicken, lamb, sausages and maybe pork too. But no sides. Later on a green salad was brought out, but no carbs/sides like we would have in the UK. I think us Brits generally tend to think something's missing if we don't have rice/pasta/potatoes etc with our meals. (On a separate note we also had the most delicious panna cotta for dessert!)
- It's funny (and nice) how loyal people can be towards the place they're from. The Italians at the weekend have lived in Genoa for a long time. They were saying that the foccacia in the area of Italy where we were doesn't have anything on the foccacia from Genoa. I think that's generally the same the world over though. I like it this patriotism/loyalty, and now I'm interested to try the Genovese foccacia so I can form my own opinion. (Apparently it should be thin - they say it's a mattress if it's too thick and spongy - crispy and have a lot of oil on it.)
- The internet must be my biggest distraction. I was meant to go running tonight. I've talked about and looked forward to it all day. Then I find a way to connect to the internet from my apartment and running has gone out the window. I'm going to have to go running or swimming before school tomorrow. Maybe swimming, as it's not every day I have a pool to use before the daily grind starts.
- It's weird how kettles haven't taken off in Europe (well, not in France and Italy anyway). To me it seems like a hassle to get a pan out, put the hob on, boil the water, remember to turn it off when it boils, then wash/dry the pan and put it away, when you could just fill a kettle and leave it at that. I wonder why that is?
- Language is funny. I've spent a lot of time with Chri recently. He says stuff in English like, 'let's make a tour' (of the town or whatever) because that's what they say in Italian, and French I think. Or, 'in this corner' (of the town), meaning in this particular area/neighbourhood. We wouldn't use these phrases in English but sometimes I can't think what we would say. I think we'd probably use a slightly different expression depending on what we were doing, ie. let's go for a wander, let's go exploring, let's go for a walk, let's have a look round. But now, because I understand what's intended by these phrases, I find myself using them in English as it's easier. It doesn't make for great English though, and means I'm not correcting Chri either. And recently I just haven't been able to remember some words in English. On Saturday I had to text Australia to ask what that game is where you use a mallet to hit a ball through pegs - you know, like polo but without the horses. Of course it's croquet (thanks my marra!), but there was no way that word was going to come to me. Strange what your brain does sometimes. The other day Chri had to ask Omar how they pronounce pistachio in Italian. His brain was listening to me saying it in English and French and it blocked his ability to think in his own language. I also learnt today that we will generally always think of numbers in the language we originally learnt them in. So if in 60 years I'm still living in France, I'll probably still count in English. How strange is that?
- Sometimes recently I've struggled to identify where in the world I am. For Bastille Day last week, for example, I was in an Irish pub in Nice with two Americans, an Italian, a Brit who has lived in Austria since she was 16, a guy from Northern Ireland who has lived in Sweden and France for the past 20-odd years and an Brit who has lived in Nice for six years. I was in France, speaking English, drinking pints pulled by an Irishman in an Irish pub. Talk about confusing! Then last week I was in London having lunch with my old colleagues and a few hours later I was drinking wine with my parents and their neighbours in the north east. I think my internal compass is struggling to keep up with all my recent travels!
- GB, who knows me and my inner brain workings/insecurities better than most, told me today that he's impressed with my lack of recent crying when the going has gotten tough. He said I'm getting strong. And do you know what? I think he's right. That drowning/indecent exposure incident was a classic example. Ordinarily I would have burst into tears, sat on the beach feeling sorry for myself and not gone back in the water all afternoon. Instead, I rearranged myself (ahem) and got straight in the sea without shedding a tear. Yay! I like it when I see progress without having made a conscious decision to act/feel differently. When T died, people said things would one day become easier. You don't believe that at the time. How can you? You think it will always be like it is. But it's not. I feel not just stronger, but strong. It's good! And I know T would be most proud of that. That makes me happy.
Before T died I had a lot of insecurities. I worried. A lot. About things that were totally outside my control. For example, on our South America trip I agonised for days about getting a boat home as I didn't want to fly. What a waste of those days in South America. Now I see flying as a means to an end. Yes, it's got risks, but if I want to travel to the places I go, I have to fly. My desire to travel outweighs those risks. When we went on holiday to Turkey we hired a scooter and I was past myself about getting on it and going a few kilometers down the coast, instead of just holding on and enjoying the ride and the scenery. Now I get on Chri's scooter without thinking about it. It gets us from A to B. I certainly worry a lot less than I used to about things over which I've got no control. I'm not completely cured (GB will definitely vouch for that), but I'm definitely in remission - although don't be expecting me to go in a field containing cows or to go anywhere near a frog! T would also be proud that I'm more carefree about lots of things. That's one thing he was constantly trying to help me with as he could see how debilitating it could be, and what a waste of bloody time.
Think that's my brain dump for the day. Better rest up before my early morning swim...
Where I am
I'm back. The good news is that we've been told that the grammar test went well for the most part. Not yet sure whether that means we've all got the obligatory 70%, but will find out tomorrow. Anyway, it went better than I expected, so that's a relief. I also just found out that I've got my first student tomorrow - a 15-year-old girl, not sure of her level so not quite sure how I'll create a lesson plan. Think I'll just try and wangle a one hour needs assessment.
I've had a specific request from my mate Sal for more information about where I am and what it's like, so here it is: I'm living in the sparsely furnished apartment about 15 mins on the train from the centre of Nice. It's about a mile from the beach. It's very residential and green which also means it's much quieter than living in the centre - French cities are notoriously noisy to live in. It's very close to a decent-sized supermarket and about a ten minute walk from the station. Today when I opened the shutters the sky was the most beautiful blue and I love getting glimpses of the sea from various points on my journey to and from school. So far I haven't ventured into the pool (which is big) as there's always been people there and I don't know the ropes - I'm basically being a chicken. Might try going before school as I've never seen anyone there in the mornings and it would be a nice way to start my day. I'm also going to go for another run this evening. I went out the other evening and ran to the beach and along the prom. I love running beside the sea!
Longer term plans are still undecided. There's a possibility I might move into one of my classmate's apartments in the town centre in August and there's also a possibility that I might be able to rent a fully furnished one-bedroom apartment in the centre from September onwards. The family we had the BBQ with on Saturday mentioned to Chri that they might want to hire an au pair to teach their kids English, so that could also be a (short-term!) option. Who knows? I'm just taking it as it comes at the minute but if I'm staying here then I'd like to live in town as there's nothing going on where I am now and it's tricky to get home after a night out.
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| My cell! |
Longer term plans are still undecided. There's a possibility I might move into one of my classmate's apartments in the town centre in August and there's also a possibility that I might be able to rent a fully furnished one-bedroom apartment in the centre from September onwards. The family we had the BBQ with on Saturday mentioned to Chri that they might want to hire an au pair to teach their kids English, so that could also be a (short-term!) option. Who knows? I'm just taking it as it comes at the minute but if I'm staying here then I'd like to live in town as there's nothing going on where I am now and it's tricky to get home after a night out.
Making an impression
This might make you laugh; it makes me laugh just thinking about it! So, on Saturday I went to Italy to visit the Italian. I had to get up early (7.15am) and it took two hours to get there because you have to change trains at the border where there is usually a wait plus a delay (I don't think I've been on a punctual Italian train yet). Anyway, I arrive at San Remo, get a lift back to Chri's and drop my stuff on, then we set off on an hour and three quarter scooter ride to meet friends of his at a beach halfway between where he lives and where they live in Genoa. It was a stunning drive along the aurelia with the Med on one side and the mountains on the other. We passed through some lovely seaside towns and villages, including the one where my parents honeymooned which I was very excited about!
We eventually arrive at the beach and I meet the friends - so far so good and I don't feel too intimidated among the classy Italians. After saying hello, I go and put my bikini on and when I come back Chri is chatting to some of his friends on the beach while two of the guys have already gone into the sea. I don't want Chri to feel he has to look after me all the time, or to detract from his time with his friends, so I decide to go and have a swim to unwind after my long journey from France. I get to the shore and dip my feet in the water. The waves are quite big but not too scary. It's a shingle beach with a big drop. I go in a bit further, with the two guys encouraging me in. Big waves are breaking on my stomach. The next thing I know, I'm drowning! I'm underwater and my face is being pounded onto the shingle. I don't know which way is up. I'm being rolled by the wave and have inhaled lots of sea water. After what felt like an eternity, I surfaced to find one of the guys coming to my rescue Baywatch-style. I catch my breath, get my bearings and eventually look down to find I've popped out of my bikini. Definitely not cool! Almost drowning was embarrassing enough, but flashing someone I'd met about seven minutes earlier (plus half the beach) was mortifying, but perhaps a good way to break the ice!
The boys were very kind and recovered my sunglasses from the sea and eventually physically helped me into the water. I thought the bikini episode was going to go unmentioned but that was wishful thinking. When I saw them later that day I was asked if I'd gone into the sea after they'd left to make another show! Cheeky sods! Anyway, the rest of the afternoon was spent without incident - I studied a bit and had a little siesta. And I definitely didn't venture back into the sea! That evening we were invited to Chri's friends in Imperia for a BBQ. The food was divine and everyone was so lovely to me. Between the six of us we communicated in Italian, French and English, which worked. The weather wasn't great on Sunday so Chri and I went to the local beach where I studied some more and ate delicious sea bass before heading back to France.
Right, back to school. Will try and log on again later.
We eventually arrive at the beach and I meet the friends - so far so good and I don't feel too intimidated among the classy Italians. After saying hello, I go and put my bikini on and when I come back Chri is chatting to some of his friends on the beach while two of the guys have already gone into the sea. I don't want Chri to feel he has to look after me all the time, or to detract from his time with his friends, so I decide to go and have a swim to unwind after my long journey from France. I get to the shore and dip my feet in the water. The waves are quite big but not too scary. It's a shingle beach with a big drop. I go in a bit further, with the two guys encouraging me in. Big waves are breaking on my stomach. The next thing I know, I'm drowning! I'm underwater and my face is being pounded onto the shingle. I don't know which way is up. I'm being rolled by the wave and have inhaled lots of sea water. After what felt like an eternity, I surfaced to find one of the guys coming to my rescue Baywatch-style. I catch my breath, get my bearings and eventually look down to find I've popped out of my bikini. Definitely not cool! Almost drowning was embarrassing enough, but flashing someone I'd met about seven minutes earlier (plus half the beach) was mortifying, but perhaps a good way to break the ice!
The boys were very kind and recovered my sunglasses from the sea and eventually physically helped me into the water. I thought the bikini episode was going to go unmentioned but that was wishful thinking. When I saw them later that day I was asked if I'd gone into the sea after they'd left to make another show! Cheeky sods! Anyway, the rest of the afternoon was spent without incident - I studied a bit and had a little siesta. And I definitely didn't venture back into the sea! That evening we were invited to Chri's friends in Imperia for a BBQ. The food was divine and everyone was so lovely to me. Between the six of us we communicated in Italian, French and English, which worked. The weather wasn't great on Sunday so Chri and I went to the local beach where I studied some more and ate delicious sea bass before heading back to France.
Right, back to school. Will try and log on again later.
Thursday, 14 July 2011
Maybe I spoke too soon
OK, so things were going so swimmingly that there was bound to be a hiccup. I was due to be taken to the new place by one of the male staff members on Tuesday night. He picked me up as planned but told me there was a problem. The apartment's electricity had been disconnected so not only was there no electric, but no hot water either. He told me he'd take me there and I could drop off my bag but then I had to stay with him that night as he wasn't prepared to leave Johnny Foreigner in a dark apartment with no hot water. He also told me he'd cleared it with his girlfriend and as she trusts him implicitly, no problem. I wasn't given much choice in the matter and was both grateful and slightly concerned in equal measure. I had no idea where he was taking me or what his living arrangements were or why he was being so kind to little old me.
I texted my old mate GB and told him the score - gave him the guy's contact details just in case, although when asked for an address, I had no idea where I was! We rock up at his apartment and I meet his Russian girlfriend (not important, but she's almost 20 years his junior). She was distant and polite but not overly friendly. We have some wine (I'm thinking, have they spiked it - see my posting on my first night alone in Saigon for an insight into how my mind works - it's very Hollywood!) then order pizza and watch TV all night. It's all fine but a bit awkward. I sleep on the settee and the next morning the guy makes me a cup of tea and we head into school together. He tells me he wants to set me up with his Iranian friend (who arrived here without any papers, but this guy sorted all that for him - he knows a lawyer etc etc)! Anyway, the outcome was that there was no ulterior motive. Thank god. And it was actually very kind of him, if a little bizarre.
Yesterday I discovered that there was still no electric and was dreading him inviting me back, but fortunately he didn't - maybe the cold Russian wasn't quite as OK with it as he made out!? I was given two torches instead! I had a disasterous journey home (got the wrong train ticket, got the wrong train, waited an hour for the next train, got caught in a torrential thunderstorm, got soaked, then arrived in the new apartment that's barely furnished). But it was fine and I didn't cry (which tells you that it really was fine - that set of circumstances could have easily reduced me to tears!). The sun came out. I went to the supermarket and got stocked up. Did some homework and unpacked. Electric should be on tomorrow. It's only for a month and I quite like the apartment. Believe me, you'd know about it if I was remotely bothered by any of the arrangements!
School is tough. Lots of tricky grammar points to get your head around and a test on Monday. You need 70% to pass. Weather is good (apart from the storm yesterday). May or may not see the Italian later as his scooter is broken again. He was going to come for the big firework display for Bastille Day, which is today. Either way, I'm going to head to Italy for the weekend and chill out there. Oh, and revise! Nice Italian has also lent me his French mobile, so I can contact my French-based friends (of which I only have two!) without running up huge bills on my UK phone. That's kind of nice.
Right, back to class so have to go. Ciao ciao.
I texted my old mate GB and told him the score - gave him the guy's contact details just in case, although when asked for an address, I had no idea where I was! We rock up at his apartment and I meet his Russian girlfriend (not important, but she's almost 20 years his junior). She was distant and polite but not overly friendly. We have some wine (I'm thinking, have they spiked it - see my posting on my first night alone in Saigon for an insight into how my mind works - it's very Hollywood!) then order pizza and watch TV all night. It's all fine but a bit awkward. I sleep on the settee and the next morning the guy makes me a cup of tea and we head into school together. He tells me he wants to set me up with his Iranian friend (who arrived here without any papers, but this guy sorted all that for him - he knows a lawyer etc etc)! Anyway, the outcome was that there was no ulterior motive. Thank god. And it was actually very kind of him, if a little bizarre.
Yesterday I discovered that there was still no electric and was dreading him inviting me back, but fortunately he didn't - maybe the cold Russian wasn't quite as OK with it as he made out!? I was given two torches instead! I had a disasterous journey home (got the wrong train ticket, got the wrong train, waited an hour for the next train, got caught in a torrential thunderstorm, got soaked, then arrived in the new apartment that's barely furnished). But it was fine and I didn't cry (which tells you that it really was fine - that set of circumstances could have easily reduced me to tears!). The sun came out. I went to the supermarket and got stocked up. Did some homework and unpacked. Electric should be on tomorrow. It's only for a month and I quite like the apartment. Believe me, you'd know about it if I was remotely bothered by any of the arrangements!
School is tough. Lots of tricky grammar points to get your head around and a test on Monday. You need 70% to pass. Weather is good (apart from the storm yesterday). May or may not see the Italian later as his scooter is broken again. He was going to come for the big firework display for Bastille Day, which is today. Either way, I'm going to head to Italy for the weekend and chill out there. Oh, and revise! Nice Italian has also lent me his French mobile, so I can contact my French-based friends (of which I only have two!) without running up huge bills on my UK phone. That's kind of nice.
Right, back to class so have to go. Ciao ciao.
Monday, 11 July 2011
Ha!
This has been my day: Get up, shower, buy a brioche and have a coffee. Get to school and all the people are nice (Robin, English, 55ish, lived here for 20 years; Lucy, English but lives in Austria, 22ish; Rachel, American, 22ish and not annoying (sorry to be racist!) Michelle, American, 22ish (ditto), brought her dog with her from Chicago (to Europe, not to school) for two months; Ken, N. Irish, 55ish; Eleanor, Italian, 25ish; and Rupert, English, 42, lived here for six years). They seem like a nice bunch. No complete losers and people I think I'll get on with. I don't feel stressed and have a good day. I find out that I've got a host family but, and this bit isn't quite as good, they've got three cats (I'm a bit allergic). On the positive side they live a two minute walk from the school but again on the negative side, that's quite near the station and those areas are notoriously not very nice. Later I'm told that something has happened in the family and they can no longer host me. There are no other host families available so the tutor tells me she has a newly-refurbed apartment in Cagnes-sur-Mer that I can have for 150E less than I was going to pay. It's got a pool and she's going to furnish it (basically I guess) tonight. The downside is that it's about a half hour bus ride from Nice. I think I can live with that though! Actually, I've just done a quick search and it's 6 mins on the train from Nice. Perfect! I came out of school and had a split second of thinking, oh, what am I going to do now all on my lonesome before it hit me that I can go and have a nice swim in the Med - how bloody awesome is that?! Admittedly I do have some homework to do, but I can do that this evening. Better to enjoy the sunshine for now. So all in all a pretty good day I'd say, and I'm feeling very fortunate that things have worked out so well. I think that good karma thing might just be right.
I'm meeting my Italian friend for lunch tomorrow and there's a big fireworks display in Nice on Thursday for Bastille Day (which we have to work, shock horror!), so will probably go to that. We also get every Friday afternoon off, which is even better! The course is going to be hard work, especially the grammar. Can't say I knew this, for example:
We [subject] are [complement verb] late [complement].
Or this:
He [subject] underwent [object verb - never heard of one of them before] treatment [direct object].
Or even that there are no-object verbs like slip and talk (you can say 'I slipped' but not 'I slipped my foot'). God knows how I'm going to speak about this kind of thing to my colleagues for 10 minutes in the morning, nevermind explain the logistics of it to an inquisitive French student!
Interestingly, the grammar section is being taught by a French lady. I thought this odd until I realised that we probably know more about the grammar of the foreign languages we learn than the grammar of our own language, which we know innately. Ho hum. I guess it might make you slighly less jealous to know that my life isn't all about soaking up the sunshine and cooling off in the Med ;o)
I'm meeting my Italian friend for lunch tomorrow and there's a big fireworks display in Nice on Thursday for Bastille Day (which we have to work, shock horror!), so will probably go to that. We also get every Friday afternoon off, which is even better! The course is going to be hard work, especially the grammar. Can't say I knew this, for example:
We [subject] are [complement verb] late [complement].
Or this:
He [subject] underwent [object verb - never heard of one of them before] treatment [direct object].
Or even that there are no-object verbs like slip and talk (you can say 'I slipped' but not 'I slipped my foot'). God knows how I'm going to speak about this kind of thing to my colleagues for 10 minutes in the morning, nevermind explain the logistics of it to an inquisitive French student!
Interestingly, the grammar section is being taught by a French lady. I thought this odd until I realised that we probably know more about the grammar of the foreign languages we learn than the grammar of our own language, which we know innately. Ho hum. I guess it might make you slighly less jealous to know that my life isn't all about soaking up the sunshine and cooling off in the Med ;o)
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